I cannot tell you how many people I have met over the past 20 years who have come to see me for help with a chronic hip or shoulder problem that had evolved into a much bigger problem that it should have. These were mainly due to treatments that focused on pain relief instead of correcting the underlying cause. In almost every one of these cases the treatment consisted of cortisone injections into the injured area followed by rest. Some were told to see a physio for some treatment but many were told that they will need a few injections over the coming months to get rid of the inflammation and the hip or shoulder would be “fixed”. I am astounded that with all the advancements in modern technology and science, and the ability to access information that can provide great insights into what causes injuries that this is the most consistent course of action. Very rarely does this work and if anything all it is likely to achieve is make the injury worse! In this article, I will explain why this approach to shoulder and hip pain is flawed and what approach is more effective in the long term.
Why It Is Vital You Devote Time To Strengthening Lower Trapezius
One of the most neglected muscles in many strength workouts is the lower trapezius. If you have neck pain or shoulder pain this can be a real problem, as weakness with this muscle greatly contributes to ongoing pain and dysfunction for the important role it plays in providing stability to the scapula and shoulder joint. Most people believe that many of the compound strength exercises will automatically improve its strength and function so they don’t devote any time to strengthening it with specific exercises. I know I used to think this way, and it may be true for someone with no injury or dysfunction in the shoulder, however anyone with postural problems, shoulder, or neck pain these compound exercises may not work very well, if at all. This leads to several questions such as how do you know if you have lower trapezius weakness? And if you do what are the best exercises to target this muscle to restore it back to its full function? In this article, I will discuss how to test and assess your lower trapezius strength and the best ways to improve it back to full capacity.
Why Serratus Anterior Is So Important To The Shoulder But Also Very Difficult To Strengthen
Shoulder pain is one of the most common injuries to people of all ages and it is also one of the most difficult and complicated areas of the body to work with. The shoulder is very unique in that there are so many dynamic movements this joint can complete but this dynamic mobility with extreme ranges of movement leaves the joint vulnerable to imbalances, instability, and injury. When there is a muscular imbalance around the shoulder it can lead to diminished scapula control that result in postural dysfunctions like winging of the scapula and shoulder injuries like shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tears. One of the main muscles responsible for these imbalances is the serratus anterior which is a prime mover of the scapula and along with the lower trapezius plays a critical role in providing normal scapulohumeral rhythm and motion. The biggest problem with the serratus anterior is that many of the best exercises to strengthen this muscle are also the most problematic and painful movement to execute making it very difficult to restore back to full strength. In this article, I will discuss exactly what the serratus anterior’s function is and how you can restore full strength if you have suffered a shoulder injury.
Why You Need To Experience Some GOOD Pain To Eliminate BAD Pain
We have published numerous articles before about CHRONIC PAIN and what strategies and methods you can use to prevent it and rehabilitate an injury. One of the more interesting concepts we discuss is the difference between “good pain” and “bad pain”. Many people suffering from chronic pain are looking for a remedy or a solution to remove the pain and suffering. But the big problem with this is, that removing the pain is rarely addressing the real problem, WHY the pain was there in the first place. We have been taught to see pain as a real inconvenience and that there must be some kind of pill, tablet or medical intervention to make it go away. Often when there is pain there is significant stiffness and tight muscles that will require some “good pain” via massage, stretching and exercise to restore the body back to balance. Without this “good pain” being implemented nothing will change. And unfortunately this is the cycle most people are stuck in as they are just seeing to get rid of symptoms and not address the true cause of the problem. In this article, I am going to help you see how to approach your problem in a different way.
6 Strengthening Exercises To Correct A Winged Scapula
The winged scapula is one of the most common postural faults we see today. And even though we are talking about winged scapula in this article the information and exercises provided will relate to ALL shoulder injuries. The term winged scapula gets its name from its appearance, a wing-like resemblance, due to the medial border of the scapula sticking straight out from the back. As I mentioned at the start this is a postural fault that can greatly affect a person’s ability to lift, pull, and push weighty objects and can cause pain and discomfort with simple daily activities such as taking your shirt off or playing a sport. When pain sets in people resort to the treatment of trigger point massage, stretching, and acupuncture which all may help in some way but the real answer lies in providing stability. Why? The shoulder is such an amazing joint in that it has an incredible amount of mobility and is able to perform some incredibly powerful and dynamic movements like serving in tennis or simply throwing a ball. But this awesome mobility comes at a cost, as the stability of the shoulder can be very easily compromised. And when this happens is when injury and pain takes over. If we lose that stability, we get some extra mobility of the humeral head within the joint, and that begins to pinch some of the structures around it and you eventually end up with common postural problems like the winged scapula that progress to much worse problems such as injuries like a shoulder impingement or rotator cuff tears. In this article, we will provide you with some of the most effective and simple to do stability exercises that you can begin using to improve your posture and get your shoulder movement back, without pain and compensation.
How to Reverse Kyphosis & the Dowagers Hump Using Corrective Exercises
This is our follow up article to part one “What causes kyphosis and the dowagers hump” where we looked closely at the various reasons behind people developing this postural dysfunction. If you have not read that article yet, go back and read it now completing any of the exercises I am about to show you. It is extremely important to identify and change the source of the problem for your exercise program to have any chance of working. And to be perfectly honest once you have done that you are half way to the finish line. The exercises we are going to show in this article will finish the job and restore any lost stability and strength you have suffered, so you never return to the poor posture you once had. Okay let’s get started.
What Causes Kyphosis & the Development of a Dowagers Hump?
Most of us are very familiar with the person who has a hunched over posture that has what appears to be a hump on their upper back, known as a dowagers hump. This posture inevitably leads to chronic neck pain, shoulder problems, and even lower back pain and can be very difficult to reverse once it is developed. In the past we would normally only see this in the elderly but what we are starting to see these days is the onset of this problem in people much younger. It is even starting to get a different name, such as “text neck” or “I-phone hump”. The amount of people stuck in the looking down at their phone position is speeding up the rate of postural decline, and you can just imagine what things will be like in another 20 years if we do not begin to change our habits now. However, it is not just modern technology at fault as there are several other factors that contribute to creating this problem. In this article we explain in great detail how to identify these potential problems to correct your posture before it is too late.
Why Lack Of Thoracic Mobility Is The Hidden Cause Of Chronic Pain
The numbers of people suffering from chronic back pain and neck pain due to extensive work at a computer or hovering over a mobile device is increasing rapidly. In today’s modern world more people are becoming sedentary, spending at least 10–15 hrs a day at work, in the car, at school, and home in a position of bad posture, that results in stiff hips and stiff thoracic spine. Stiffness in these two joints is a disaster to our joints as we need both of these areas to provide great mobility, in particular with rotation as used in walking. Lack of mobility at these two areas creates problems for joints above and below as the body searches for alternative methods to move. We have been so conditioned to react to injuries by using pain relief methods, as opposed to looking at WHY you got the problem in the first place. The thoracic region is so unique in that it really can create problems all throughout the body but it will not suffer with any pain, and go completely undetected with most treatments. In this article, I am going to explain exactly what happens when you lose thoracic mobility, what causes it, and what you can do to get it back.